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July 2008
News For Life
This newsletter, in its 6th year, is designed to keep you aware of the many effects our food
choices have on our lives; from personal health to a sustainable planet and respecting
other species. I hope you enjoy it and share it with others!
General News Index:
FORCING BELIEFS
OPRAH'S VEGAN DIET: GOOD FOR HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
TEEN GIRLS ARE THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF VEGETARIANS
VIDEO: SIMMONS IS VEHEMENTLY VEGAN
WHO SAYS YOU HAVE TO EAT MEAT TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE?
FITTEST GUYS IN AMERICA
GOVERNMENT MANIPULATES FIGURES ON MEATPACKING PLANTS
HUMANE MYTH?
Health News Index:
HOW EATING BLUEBERRIES CAN IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
BEANS, BEANS...
A NONINVASIVE CURE FOR HEART DISEASE
A NEW WAY TO FIGHT CANCER
A VEGETARIAN DIET CAN REDUCE CANCER RISKS
VEGAN DIET AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES HELP FIGHT PROSTATE CANCER
INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE BRAIN REDUCED BY PLANT FLAVONOID
THE ART OF TEA
RED WINE COMPOUND HELPS HEART, MAY SLOW AGING
VIDEO: EATTHEWEEDS
VIDEO: APOCALYPSE COW
Environmental News Index:
WHY PETA IS PUBLICLY REBUKING AL GORE
FOOD MILES DON'T FEED CLIMATE CHANGE - MEAT DOES
Animal Sentience Index:
SIX 'UNIQUELY' HUMAN TRAITS NOW FOUND IN ANIMALS
Take Action Index:
DOWNED FARM ANIMALS NEED YOUR HELP!
FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!
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General News:
“If you don’t stay informed, then who will tell the others the truth?” Anonymous
FORCING BELIEFS
Vegans often hear from people complaining that we are trying to "force our beliefs" on
others. Yesterday, we received an email attacking our parenting, which said, in part: The
problem I have is that forcing your child to be a vegan (or a vegetarian for that matter) is
bad parenting, you cannot force your own beliefs on a child. Let a child come to its own
decision in its teens. Is "good parenting" simply following society's current norms?
Like everything about raising a child, feeding them means making choices. We aren't
forcing our beliefs on our daughter Ellen, we are living our values. We have never
forbidden her from eating animals; rather, we have explained (at an age-appropriate
level) why we believe it is wrong to support killing and consuming pigs, birds, fish, etc.
We would no sooner raise our daughter to view animals as food than we would teach her
to hate and discriminate against homosexuals (or, if we lived 150 years ago, to keep other
human beings as slaves).
Most children are naturally drawn to and have an affinity for animals; it is frightening
and abnormal when a child chooses to torture, rather than befriend, other animals. We
believe it is inconsistent, unethical, and yes, bad parenting not to respect and nurture this
inherent compassion, but instead feed a child her friends.
When asked, 13-year-old Ellen chimes in: "So what, are you just supposed to not feed the
child anything until he or she is capable of making a completely informed decision?
Come on! Based on the information I have now, I would choose to be vegan no matter
what you had raised me to eat, quite frankly. And I would be mad if you had raised me
eating meat and waited until now to let me 'decide.'"
Of course, this discussion ignores the elephant in the room -- or, rather, the pigs,
chickens, turkeys, etc. The animals who suffer on factory farms and die in industrial
slaughterhouses are individuals whose lives are real and complete on their own. Their
lives matter to themselves -- they are not just hypothetical pawns to be tossed about in the
abstract. We have to answer to them for every choice we make, including what we eat,
how we raise our children, and how we interact with others.
In her last, three-team meet (above), lifelong-vegan Ellen Green won the 800m, 1600m,
and 3200m events. She also finished the year with straight-As in every advanced class,
with the highest score for the year in Honors Geometry.
http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20080611.html
OPRAH'S VEGAN DIET: GOOD FOR HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Some people say not eating meat or meat by-products is better for both your health and
the environment. Even talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is trying it. But did you know
changing your diet can also change your carbon footprint? When Oprah, announced her
21-day body cleanse which cuts off caffeine, sugar, alcohol, gluten and animal products
she wondered, "What's left?" Actually, the answer to that question is quite a lot and
Oprah even said on her blog, "I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying."...
Recent studies say eating a plants-only diet produces far fewer gases than an animalbased diet and shrinks one's so-called "carbon footprint." Dr. Gidon Eshel co-authored
one study for the University of Chicago. "If you only eat plants, your footprint drops by a
ton and a half of CO2 per person per year," explained Dr. Eshel...
http://cbs4.com/local/oprah.winfrey.vegan.2.744865.html
TEEN GIRLS ARE THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF VEGETARIANS
... roughly 1.4 million under-18s in the United States identify themselves as vegetarians
or vegans, including 11 percent of girls between the ages of 13 and 17, according to the
American Dietetic Association... Cunningham said that perhaps the high vegetarian rate
in teen girls -- 11 percent versus 7 percent in women -- may be better explained by the
fact girls simply are more sensitive to animal rights and the environment. "There are
more girls than boys (adopting the lifestyle) because they are not immersed in the macho
culture, where compassion is not encouraged and, unfortunately, aggressiveness is," he
said...
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1107448/vegging_out_teen_girls_are_the_fastest_g
rowing_segment_of/index.html
VIDEO: SIMMONS IS VEHEMENTLY VEGAN
Rap mogul Russell Simmons tells American Morning why he strictly avoids animal
products.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/06/10/phillips.simmons.vegan.cnn?iref
=videosearch
WHO SAYS YOU HAVE TO EAT MEAT TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE?
The football player...
The mixed martial arts fighter...
The baseball player...
The ultramarathon runner...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keri/080616
FITTEST GUYS IN AMERICA
Mac Danzig - UFC Fighter... When I was 16, I cut out beef and pork. I just got to the
point where I wanted to minimize my intake of animal products. I knew about factory
farming and the theories that meat wasn't safe, but I subscribed to the theory that if you
were doing something athletic, you needed to have protein, so I kept eating chicken and
fish. But then in 2004, I got to the point where I was sick of eating chicken. It started
grossing me out for some reason. I was about a month out from a fight and I decided I
was going to cut out all meat. I was working with a trainer who was vegan and he helped
me make the switch. I won that fight and went on a 12-fight winning streak. And [not
eating meat] made it really easy to cut weight for that fight.
http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/288?page=1
GOVERNMENT MANIPULATES FIGURES ON MEATPACKING PLANTS
For over two decades, the meatpacking industry has held the undesirable position as
America's most dangerous industry. The rate of injury among workers began escalating
during the union-busting days of the 1980s. For example, the repetitive-motion-disorder
incidence rate is 30 times higher for meatpacking workers than the average for all private
industries. Disregarding worker's rights, government officials at the U.S. Department of
Labor, appointed by President Bush, have dramatically altered laws that were originally
designed to require industry to report worker injuries. As a result of the new law,
government statistics now inaccurately indicate that worker's injuries have magically
dropped by 50%, thereby taking the heat off the meatpacking industry to improve
working environments.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_12659.cfm
HUMANE MYTH?
How should words pertaining to alternative farmed animal production, such as “welfare”
and “humane,” be defined? Is alternative animal production sustainable? Is it a conflict of
interest for an animal protection organization to promote alternative animal and meat
production? Is the public being misled by alternative production claims? These are some
of the questions raised on the new website.
http://www.HumaneMyth.org.
Health News:
"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." Hippocrates, the
father of medicine.
HOW EATING BLUEBERRIES CAN IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY
Eating blueberries can improve your memory and reverse the forgetfulness of old age...
Scientists found that compounds called flavonoids in blueberries and other fresh fruit
interact with nerve cells, increasing communication between them and stimulating the
regeneration of brain cells... This can improve both short and long-term memory...
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/health/article-1024836/How-eating-blueberries-improvememory.html?ITO=1490
BEANS, BEANS...
Everyone is looking for that "superfood." But as I explained in my blog of March 7,
2008, The Real Superfoods, are fresh fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, intact whole
grains and legumes. However, it turns out that when they look at long-lived populations
around the world, one of these food groups shows up more often than the others. And,
that food group is... Beans!
Yes, Beans. The musical fruit. :) In one study, Legumes: the most important dietary
predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. which was published in the
Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004;13(2):217-20.) the authors concluded,
"This longitudinal study shows that a higher legume intake is the most protective dietary
predictor of survival amongst the elderly, regardless of their ethnicity." And, this
protective predictor of legumes persisted even after controlling for age at enrollment (in
5-year interval), gender, and smoking...
http://www.healthscience.org/content/view/410/198/
A NONINVASIVE CURE FOR HEART DISEASE
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. has no qualms about stepping inside the nation's No. 1 heart
hospital and dishing on angioplasty. Invasive treatment is a mainstay of cardiac care, and
it pays the bills. It's also what's wrong with medicine, says the retired Cleveland Clinic
surgeon who has been affiliated with the hospital for 40 years. Esselstyn has turned his
life's work to demonstrating that heart disease doesn't need to exist in the first place. And
if it does, it can be reversed. The remedy is a plant-based diet, he says. Learn to live with
no meat, no fish, no dairy or oils of any kind, and make yourself "heart-attack proof."...
http://tinyurl.com/5mj24w
A NEW WAY TO FIGHT CANCER
A diet chock full of flavonoid-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and even tea may help
protect smokers from developing lung cancer. That's the latest research from the
University of California Los Angeles... Foods that appeared to be especially protective
included strawberries, green and black teas, brussels sprouts, apples, beans, and onions.
While quitting smoking is the best way to reduce the risk for lung cancer, experts say
eating more fruits and veggies certainly couldn't hurt.
http://www.kmir6.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1294/xmid/22483/Default.aspx
A VEGETARIAN DIET CAN REDUCE CANCER RISKS
... Walter Willett, of Harvard University, suggested increase in the intake of fruit and
vegetables to prevent cancer. He said this would be particularly useful in reducing
cancers of the head and neck, such as those of the mouth, throat and oesophagus as well
as those of the gastrointestinal tract and, above all, prostate, breast and ovaries... Other
studies suggest that one can cut the risk of cancer with just 30 minutes of exercise daily...
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/A-vegetarian-diet-can-reduce-cancerrisks/316322/
VEGAN DIET AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES HELP FIGHT PROSTATE CANCER
A new study has revealed that frequent changes in diet, physical activities and reduction
of stress changes the expression of hundreds of genes. A change of lifestyle shows a
positive influence on genes, making them fight cancer or turn off the genes that develop
cancer... Vegan food, daily walks and stress management practices help humans fight the
disease, the scientists concluded...
http://english.pravda.ru/science/health/18-06-2008/105534-prostate_cancer-0
INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE BRAIN REDUCED BY PLANT
FLAVONOID
Researchers at the University of Illinois report that a plant compound found in abundance
in celery and green peppers can disrupt a key component of the inflammatory response in
the brain. The findings have implications for research on aging and diseases such as
Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis...
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108233.php
THE ART OF TEA
Pop quiz! Name a summery beverage that tastes great and may provide the following
health benefits:
a) lower cholesterol.
b) clearer skin.
c) weight loss.
d) cancer prevention.
The answer? Iced tea, but not the bottle of Nestea or packet of Crystal Light you picked
up at the grocery store. According to a USDA Flavonoid Content Report, ready-to-drink
teas and powdered teas only contain one-fifth of the flavonoids of freshly brewed teas.
Flavonoids fight cancer-causing free radicals, so you want as many of those in your tea as
possible. “To get the highest amount of health benefits, start with good quality loose tea
leaves...
http://www.cabinet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080608/HOLLISBROOKLINE01/
371773896
RED WINE COMPOUND HELPS HEART, MAY SLOW AGING
Resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, red wine, pomegranates and certain other
foods, may protect the heart and slow the effects of aging, a new study suggests... low
doses of resveratrol mimic the effects of caloric restriction, diets with 20 percent to 30
percent fewer calories than a typical diet that have been shown to extend life span...
"Resveratrol is active in much lower doses than previously thought and mimics a
significant fraction of the profile of caloric restriction at the gene expression levels," cosenior author Tomas Prolla, a professor of genetics at the University of WisconsinMadison, said in a prepared statement...
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90040
Resveratrol—To Your Health!
Resveratrol is found in relative abundance not only in grapes and red wine, but also, not
surprisingly, in raisins and purple grape juice. And it is found in peanuts, mulberries,
eucalyptus trees, and the root of the Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), the
source of most of the resveratrol sold in nutritional supplements...
http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=879
VIDEO: EATTHEWEEDS
Episode 01: Why Learn About Wild Foods
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x97jebTQisU
VIDEO: APOCALYPSE COW
The Simpsons
Bart joins the 4-H Club and unexpectedly falls in love with a cow named Lou. When Bart
finds out that Lou has been sold to a slaughterhouse, he becomes determined to save him.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/18243/the-simpsons-apocalypse-cow#s-p1-so-i0
Environmental News:
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as
much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein
WHY PETA IS PUBLICLY REBUKING AL GORE
... I can't help but wonder how someone who clearly cares deeply about the environment
can reconcile that caring with eating meat--and I don't think that Al Gore even bothers to
try, which is unfortunate, to say the least.
The chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who shared the
Nobel Prize with Mr. Gore, is vegetarian and said that the two most important ways to
protect the environment are to drive less and adopt a vegetarian diet... United Nations
scientists concluded that the meat industry is "one of the ... most significant contributors
to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global,"
including "problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage
and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity." As for global warming, meat production
causes 40 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all forms of transportation
combined. Eating meat is by far an individual's number one contribution to global
greenhouse gases...
Only energy production causes more global warming, but much of that energy goes into
the meat industry, which is why the Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook
explains that "refusing meat" is "the single most effective thing you can do to reduce your
carbon footprint"...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-friedrich/why-peta-is-publiclyrebu_b_103324.html
FOOD MILES DON'T FEED CLIMATE CHANGE - MEAT DOES
That locally-produced, free-range, organic hamburger might not be as green as you think.
An analysis of the environmental toll of food production concludes that transportation is
a mere drop in the carbon bucket. Foods such as beef and dairy make a far deeper
impression on a consumer's carbon footprint. "If you have a certain type of diet that’s
indicative of the American average, you're not going to do that much for climate while
eating locally...
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn13741-food-miles-dont-feedclimate-change--meat-does.html
Animal Sentience:
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans
any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men." Alice
Walker, author and activist.
SIX 'UNIQUELY' HUMAN TRAITS NOW FOUND IN ANIMALS
To accompany the article So you think humans are unique? we have selected six articles
from the New Scientist archive that tell a similar story. We have also asked the
researchers involved to update us on their latest findings. Plus, we have rounded up six
videos of animals displaying 'human' abilities.
1. Culture...
2. Mind reading...
3. Tool use...
4. Morality...
5. Emotions...
6. Personality...
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/dn13860-six-uniquely-human-traitsnow-found-in-animals-.html
Take Action:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, anthropologist
DOWNED FARM ANIMALS NEED YOUR HELP!
"Downed" animals—those too sick or injured to stand or walk on their own—are often
kicked, dragged with chains, prodded with electric shocks, or hauled by forklift in an
effort to move them to slaughter. They may be left to languish without food, water, or
veterinary care.
Downed animals are also at a higher risk of carrying harmful diseases, such as mad cow,
E. coli, and Salmonella. At least 13 of the 16 cases of mad cow disease identified in
North America have reportedly involved downed animals...
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/2007_downed_animals3?rk=Id1TbvM1HgkyE
FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!
Help educate the public about these vitally important issues. Please forward this
newsletter to make a bigger difference in this world than you already are!
http://www.plantpeacedaily.org/
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